what causes sweating?

Although we sweat every day, few of us actually have a strong grasp of where it comes from or what causes sweating. Ultimately, our body produces sweat to regulate our internal temperatures. Simple, right? But why do we tend to sweat more on our underarms rather than on other areas? Why can’t we stop sweating whenever we’d like, and why does sweating often leave an odor? 

Understanding what causes sweating will help us be more mindful of our sweat triggers and help us regulate our bodies in a more balanced, healthy way. Let’s be super clear… Sweating is a natural and healthy process. We don’t need chemicals like aluminum-based deodorants to push against our body’s natural perspiration process. That’s why we came up with our line of plant-based, coconut oil deodorants, because we believe that products should work with your body, not against it. Our line of deodorants with plant-based ingredients block odor and leave your underarms fresh and smelling good, without the parabens and aluminum that many unnatural products use to work against our natural systems.

what causes sweating?

As mentioned earlier, sweating is our natural way of regulating body temperature. When our body temperature rises, our body produces sweat to help cool it down. Actually, it is the evaporation of sweat that works to cool the body down. But, the causes of sweating actually come from sweat glands. Our body is covered in them, and they are activated by our nervous system due to various sweat triggers. 

While there are millions of sweat glands all over our body, not all sweat glands are the same. While the sweat glands in most of our body are called eccrine glands, the glands that produce sweat in our underarms are called apocrine glands. The makeup of these underarm glands is thicker and contain proteins that odor-causing bacteria love to get their hands on. Even beyond just when your body warms up, apocrine glands also produce more sweat when you start feeling anxious. This is why it is important to keep in mind underlying sweat triggers so you can help balance your body’s natural systems in a healthy way, not to stop sweating altogether. 

sweat triggers you should be aware of

Beyond typical causes of sweating like hot temperatures and physical exercise, sweat is also generated by many other “sweat triggers” that you’ll probably find surprising. From dehydration to performance anxiety, being aware of what causes sweating will ultimately help balance our sweat levels.

1. healthy diet

One of the most important causes of sweating lies in the food and drinks we put into our body on a daily basis. For example, eating spicy foods leads us to sweat more, as does drinking alcohol or not drinking enough water. Hot beverages, like coffee, also increases our sweat levels due to increases in our body temperatures. Obesity is also a cause of extra sweat, because the body would then need more energy to keep moving, which in turn develops more heat and eventually sweat. While the body needs to cool down, many people end up using aluminum-based deodorants, which by blocking sweat development, actually stop the body from cooling down due to these sweat triggers – causing more harm than good. 

2. physical activity 

Often people don’t realize that the more active you are, the more sweat you’ll likely end up facing – even after your gym workout. Basically, the higher fitness level you have will enable you to handle a higher workload. The more work your body can handle, the more heat your body will generate, and subsequently the body will secrete more sweat once your body temperature heats up. This whole process only emphasizes the most important point about sweating.. it is good for you! The healthier and more fit you are and more active your lifestyle happens to be, the more sweat you’ll generate to help detox your body. Just be sure to use a plant-based deodorant to help tame underarm odor. 

3. anxiety and stress

We already covered how our body has both eccrine glands and apocrine glands. While our eccrine glands stimulate sweat when we are active or in a hot temperature environment, our apocrine glands stimulate sweat when we feel anxious. If you want to avoid that bacteria-loving underarm sweat, find ways like meditation and staying active, to de-stress your mind and body. 

4. medication check 

Sweating from your glands is activated by the nervous system. Therefore, taking certain kinds of medications that affect your neurotransmitters may often lead to changes in sweating. For example, a number of antidepressants, when stopped immediately, often lead to more sweating due to changes in levels of neurotransmitters. Diabetes medicine is also known to cause sweating at night. Be sure to check side effects or talk with your doctor if you are unsure about the potential effects of your medication!

5. fear

Likely linked to your apocrine glands as per stress and anxiety, other emotional reactions like anger or fear are also causes of sweating. This is why you may wake up drenched in sweat after a nightmare while sleeping!

6. pregnancy

Sweating is linked to hormonal changes, and that is why women who are pregnant or going through menopause often notice increased sweat levels. This is totally normal, so no need to fret!

The natural perspiration process is an intricate, efficient and pretty amazing system. However, so many of us are using products that artificially work against our natural sweating process. Imagine if you’ll be able to block underarm odor without messing with your natural body systems to stop sweating, so you can stay fresh and clean all day without the nasties. This is where plant-based, coconut oil deodorants make their grand appearance, which kill the odor-causing bacteria versus blocking our sweat glands.